Off Day Stuff: Hot Take Preview, Tomorrow's Opener

Quick Peek:

Pitching - the Bucs lack a go-to guy unless Mitch Keller turns it around. They recognize that fact by carrying 14 arms: five starters (Keller, Tyler Anderson,  JT Brubaker, Wil Crowe and Chad Kuhl, with Steven Brault on the DL). four long man/starters (Trevor Cahill, Luis Oviedo, Chris Stratton and Duane Underwood Jr.) and five pure relievers (Dave Bednar, Kyle Crick, Michael Feliz, Sam Hward and Rich Rodriguez). Expect short starts, maybe some bullpenning, and early experimentation with a bullpen by committee, especially in high-leverage situations.

Infield - Ke'Bryan Hayes, Kevin Newman, Adam Frazier and Colin Moran will catch the ball a heckuva lot better, but there's a lot of doubles but not many long balls expected from that group. We think that Fraze will have another strong year even though much of Piratedom looks at him as a trade bauble. Erik Gonzalez and Phil Evans provide the back up; they're both adequate and also serve as the RH bench bats. The catching will be glove strong, but prob not much with the bat between Jake Stallings and Michael Perez, with Perez hopefully providing occasional lefty pop.

We're looking for good things from Fraze in 2021 - image Pirates

Outfield - Pretty dang thin; Bryan Reynolds should be a keystone, but the jury is out on Gregory Polanco and Tony Alford. Dustin Fowler is the lefty fourth guy, with Evans capable of playing a corner spot as the RH pine piece. There's not a lot in the upper levels to push the gang, just Travis Swaggerty, Jared Oliva and Troy Stokes. It's a spot they definitely need to shore up.

Outlook - The pitching, this year more than ever, will be a team effort; Shelty is gonna shake 'n' bake until he finds a workable formula without a true rotation/backend go-to guy yet to emerge. The hitting will depend on bunching together hits; there won't be many three-run dingers to jump start things. It's not a strong division and the Pirates should be in the 75 win range.

Tomorrow's Opener: 

Chad Kuhl & Kyle Hendricks start off the season at 2:20. It will be carried by AT&T SportsNet, 93.7 The Fan, 100.1 FM/KDKA-1020 AM, and the Pirates Radio Network.

Kuhl, 28, is making his first Opening Day trip to the hill after most pundits were debating whether he start or head to the pen a month ago. Chad has been a punching bag for Chicago with a 2-6/5.82 slash in 11 starts, so we hope for a change of direction. He only tossed eight innings in the spring, so it may turn into a bullpenning opener for Pittsburgh.

Hendricks, 30, is getting his second consecutive OD call for the Windy City. He's spent his seven-year career as a Cubbie with a 69-48/3.12 slash in 174 starts. Hendricks has pitched well against the Buccos with a 3.02 ERA in 19 lifetime starts, but with a so-so 6-8 result. 

3/31 Through the 1970s: DiMag Deal; Robby Released; Beisbol; RIP Billy; HBD Frank, Skeeter, Tom, Chick & Fred

• 1886 - OF Fred Kommers was born in Chicago. He debuted with the Bucs in 1913, hitting .233 in 40 games. He jumped to the Federal League the following season, and though he hit better as a Fed than he did in the NL, it didn’t do much to advance his baseball career - it would be his last major league campaign. 
• 1887 - RHP Chester “Chick” Brandom was born in Coldwater, Kansas. Chick tossed from 1908-09 for the Bucs, getting into 16 games and going 2-0-3 with a 0.94 ERA. The Bucs were loaded back then, and he was sent back to the minors despite that shiny albeit small performance sample. But he may have a greater claim than his Bucco stint. A 1908 picture of Chick shows him delivering a knuckleball and if the date is right, that would make him the first known practitioner of that pitch, predating guys like Eddie Cicotte (caveat emptor; the original knucksy is still debated). 
• 1894 - RHP Tom Sheehan was born in Grand Ridge, Illinois. Tom pitched the final two years of a MLB career that began in 1915 for the Pirates (1925-26; 1-3-2/4.08). He embarked on a long march as a baseball lifer after his playing days. Sheehan coached for the Reds and Braves, then spent many years as a minor league manager/scout in the Giants system. In 1960, at age 66, he succeeded the fired Bill Rigney as the Giants skipper, becoming the oldest person to make his debut as a big-league manager. That gig didn’t work out, and after the campaign he was once again assigned to scouting.

Skeeter Bigbee - undated photo Detroit Public Library

• 1895 - OF Carson “Skeeter” Bigbee was born. He played eleven years for Pittsburgh, his only MLB club, from 1916-26, and hit .287 lifetime. His best seasons were 1921-22, when he batted .323 and .350. He banged out 419 hits over that span, scored 213 runs and led the NL in singles both years. Bigbee stole 182 bases in his career, which earned him his “Skeeter” nickname. Bigbee was part of the 1926 “ABC Affair” when he, Babe Adams and Max Carey beefed about team suit Fred Clarke being in the dugout during games and overruling manager Bill McKechnie; all three were on the downside of their careers and got their walking papers as a result. 
• 1940 - The Pirates and Philadelphia Athletics played the first MLB exhibition game south of the border when they met in Hermosilla, Mexico at Casa del Pueblo Stadium. The A’s won by an 8-7 count at a match that featured soldiers at the gates & on the roof, bands playing throughout the game, and fans on the field. After a little post-game shopping, the two teams hopped a train for their next match in Phoenix. 
• 1945 - The Pirates traded OF Vince DiMaggio, a two-time All-Star, to the Philadelphia Phillies for P Al “Lefty” Gerheauser. Both were near the end of their playing days; DiMaggio hung up the spikes after the ‘46 season and Gerheauser won just seven more games in three years as the Pirates converted him from a starter to the pen. 
• 1957 - Ex-manager Billy Meyer died at age 64 of kidney and heart problems in Knoxville, having never fully recovered from a stroke suffered two years earlier. He had a long minor league career with a brief taste of the bigs and was a long time farm skipper before he got the call to manage the Bucs in 1948. He piloted the team to fourth place finish that season (Meyer won The Sporting News Manager of the Year award for that 83 win feat), but was stuck with a roster of Ralph Kiner and Rickey-Dinks, compiling a 317-452 record over five years. He resigned as skipper after the 112 loss 1952 campaign and spent the next three campaigns as a minor league rover/scout for Pittsburgh before his stroke. His #1 was retired by the Pirates in 1954, more as a matter of respect and affection for Billy than accomplishment. 

Billy Meyer - 1952 Topps

• 1960 - Former Pirates President Frank Coonelly was born in Philadelphia. Hired in 2007 as CEO to replace Kevin McClatchy, he helped engineer the Bucs into respectability with three straight playoff appearances, but couldn’t continue keepin’ on and was let go at the end of the 2019 season. Coonelly previously served as senior VP in the commissioner’s office, where he was in charge of arbitration hearings and draft bonuses, among other items. He was a lawyer in private practice before that. His replacement was Travis Williams. 
• 1977 - After nine years as a Bucco, the Pirates released 1B Bob Robertson, who had been reduced to part-time status following 1974 knee surgery and then hurt his back in camp. He filed a grievance with the MLBPA to get his full year’s salary because he was let go while injured; it was settled when the Bucs paid him the entire $50K due for 1977. In 1971, the Mount Savage Strongboy became the first player to hit TRS’s upper deck in left center, then enjoyed a monster postseason, but he slumped badly after that campaign before his knees gave out. He retired after being released by Toronto in June of 1979.

3/31 From 1980: Opening Day Squeakers; Bielecki Deal; Solly, KY Sign; Bell, Tenace Finale; PNC Peek, GABP Opener;

• 1984 - C Gene Tenace ended his 15-year career when he was released by the Pirates in spring training after batting .177 for the Bucs in 1983 as a 36-year old. Tenace had a great eye and was an OBP machine. His BA was just .241, but he had a .388 OBP for his career and drew nearly 1,000 walks. Even in his last season with the Bucs, he had more walks than hits. 
• 1988 - The Chicago Cubs traded minor league LHP Mike Curtis to the Pirates for RHP Mike Bielecki. Bielecki turned into a workmanlike journeyman pitcher, working 14 years in MLB (although he did have one big season for the Cubs, going 18-7/3.14 in 1989) while Curtis never got out of AAA, ending his career as an indie league pitcher. 
• 1997 - The Pirates lured FA 1B Kevin Young back to Pittsburgh from KC with a $400K contract. He would sign two more deals with the Bucs worth $28M over the following six seasons before retiring after the 2003 campaign. The 1B hit .259 over 11 years with the Pirates and is back with the club as a special instructor. They also signed undrafted Puerto Rican middle infielder Luis Figeroa, who got a cup of coffee with the Bucs in 2001 and then with Toronto (‘06) and San Francisco in 2007. He played in 18 MLB games overall, batting .125. 

KY - 2001 Upper Deck

• 2001 - PNC Park hosted its first MLB baseball game when the Pirates and Mets played an exhibition. The game was a sellout as NY won, 4-3. The Mets won the next day’s spring game too, 3-2, notable mainly because Aramis Ramirez hit the first HR in the park’s history. 
• 2002 - “Operation Shutdown” OF Derek Bell was released, with the Pirates eating $4.5M in guaranteed money, after Bell told the media that he would sail into the sunset on his yacht rather than be forced to compete for a starting spot. In the first year of his deal, he was nagged by injuries and hit .173 in 46 games, which to many seemed a good enough reason to open the competition. His voyage as a ballplayer was scuttled after he hoisted his anchor: he never appeared in another MLB game. As Mark Madden of the Post Gazette wrote “Derek Bell becomes the ultimate Pirate: Lives on a boat and steals money.” 
• 2003 - Pittsburgh helped the Reds christen Great American Ballpark. President George Bush tossed out the first ball in front of 42,000+ fans, but Cincy played second banana for the yard’s opening act. The Bucs spoiled the inauguration, winning 10-1 behind homers from Reggie Sanders, Kenny Lofton and Jason Kendall, all launched during a six-run second inning. Kris Benson got the win. 
• 2006 - RHP Salomon Torres agreed to a two-year contract extension worth $6.5M pending a physical, extending his current deal through 2008. He worked 94 games in 2006 (3-6-12/3.28), but after a subpar 2007 campaign, he was shipped to Milwaukee for Marino Salas and minor leaguer Kevin Roberts. Torres considered retirement over relocation, but did join the Brewers, worked the season and then hung up his mitt. 

X-Man - 2008 Topps Heritage

• 2008 - In an Opening Day shootout at Turner Field, the Bucs beat the Braves 12-11 in 12 innings. Damaso Marte and Matt Capps blew a 9-4 ninth inning lead, capped by a fly ball dropping between LF Jason Bay and CF Nate McLouth with two outs to tie the score. Pittsburgh reclaimed the lead in the top of the 12th on a Xavier Nady three-run bomb, but Atlanta almost tied it again with two runs in their half before Franquelis Osario nailed down the save. The X-Man had four hits while McLouth, Freddy Sanchez and Ryan Doumit had three to prime a 17-hit attack. 
• 2014 - Neil Walker blasted a 10th-inning, 3-2 changeup from Carlos Villanueva deep over the Clemente Wall to give the Bucs and Bryan Morris a 1-0 Opening Day win over the Cubs at PNC Park. The Kid’s longball was only the fourth 1-0 walk off homer in Bucco history: Bob Bailey (1965) Bill Virdon (1958), and 1958 Ted Kluszweski (1958) had the others. Francisco Liriano and Jeff Samardzija started the game, leaving it for the bullpens to decide. It also marked the first use of expanded replay, which had been rolled out in the Arizona Fall League, when Cubs manager Rick Renteria challenged a double play in the top of the fifth inning. (The original call on the field of out at first was confirmed).

Bucs, Twins Finish Grapefruit League With 1-1 Tie; Roster Set

Today's Game:

JT Brubaker concluded the Grapefruit League's 2021 season, followed by Sean Poppen and Edgar Santana. The lineup was regular season (Frazier, Hayes, Reynolds, Moran, Polanco, Newman, Stallings, Brubaker and Alford), with the twist of the pitcher being in the eight-hole.

It was a great tuneup for Brubaker. He went five innings, allowing one run on one hit and two walks while striking out four against the Twins. Poppen and Santana both tossed clean frames with a K apiece, and that was it as the seven-inning spring finale ended 1-1.

JT Brubaker - 2019 photo Dave Arrigo/Pirates

The Pirates were slumbering at the dish, too, with Ke'Bryan Hayes first-inning dinger the sole run maker. Colin Moran had two raps, and the three were all Pittsburgh could manage.

2021 Opening Day Roster:

The Pirates set their 26-man roster. The pitchers are Tyler Anderson, Dave Bednar, JT Brubaker, Trevor Cahill, Kyle Crick, Wil Crowe, Mike Feliz, Sam Howard, Mitch Keller, Chad Kuhl, Luis Oviedo, Rick Rodriguez, Chris Stratton and Duane Underwood Jr. The position players are C Jake Stallings & Michael Perez; IF Ke'Bryan Hayes, Kevin Newman, Adam Frazier, Colin Moran, Erik Gonzalez & Phil Evans; OF Bryan Reynolds, Tony Alford, Gregory Polanco & Dustin Fowler.

The club elected to carry 14 pitchers (last year's pitching cap of 13 was waived for 2021) and 12 position guys, leaving themselves with a pretty thin, AL-style bench of four players, with Gonzalez and Evans being the jack-of-all-trades depth.

Notes:

• The Toddfather is back; he's reportedly signed a minor league deal with the Bucs. 
• C Tony Wolters opted out of his contract while RHP Chase De Jong and LHP Chasen Shreve were reassigned after yesterday's game. 
• LHP Steven Brault (left lat) and RHP Cody Ponce (right forearm) will start the season on the 15-day IL.
• The Angels agreed to a deal with LHP Tony Watson for one-year/$1M.

Tomorrow's Game:

The Bucs are off and then kick off the season at Wrigley Field on Thursday at 2:20, with Chad Kuhl on the bump for Opening Day.

3/30 Through the 1900s: HBD Ripper, Gray Ghost, Hal, Ed, Dutch, George & Tom

• 1857 - IF/manager Tom Burns was born in Honesdale, Pennsylvania. After spending the first 12 years of his career playing for Chicago clubs, he spent his final campaign as a player/manager of the Pirates in 1892. Though the team was considered a contender with two future Hall of Famers on the roster in Joe Kelley and Jake Beckley, it started slowly and after putting up a 25–30 record, Burns was axed in favor of Al Buckenberger (he led them them to a too-late 53-41 slate). Tom moved on to manage in the minors, spent a couple of seasons as the skipper of the Chicago Orphans and finished his baseball career in 1901 as a farm club boss. 
• 1866 - OF George Van Haltren was born in St. Louis, Missouri. He played briefly for the Pirates in 1892-93, hitting .325, but was deemed expendable because of a deep Pittsburgh outfield. A borderline HoF player, Van Haltren was sold to the New York Giants, where he spent the next decade putting up a .321 BA. He started his career as a pitcher, and in 1888 tossed a rain-shortened no-hitter against the Alleghenys. 

George Van Haltren - 1909 Image Harry Murphy/Sunday Oregonian

• 1879 - Utilityman Arthur “Dutch” Meiers was born in St. Louis. A two-sport star at Princeton, Dutch spent just one year in the show, playing behind Honus Wagner and Fred Clarke in 1906. He hit a respectable .256 and got into 82 games. He earned his spot during the previous off-season when Meier showed his stuff by joining the team for exhibition and barnstorming games. After his Pittsburgh stint, he played for a variety of semi-pro clubs and served as baseball coach for his alma mater. And maybe even for his old team - it's speculated that Meier may have played a few more times with the Pirates under a number of assumed names since he appears in team pictures as late as the 1912 season. 
• 1897 - IF Ed Sicking was born in St. Bernard, Ohio. Ed spent four years in the show as a backup infielder for four different clubs, then spent six years with Indianapolis of the American Association. He opened the 1927 campaign with the Bucs, got into six games, going one-for-seven, and was sent back to Indy in early May. Though he didn’t leave much of a mark in MLB, Sicking was a pro ball lifer, spending 17 years fielding hot shots (12 seasons in the AA) before retiring in 1933 at age 36 from Class B Keokuk. 
• 1899 - IF Hal Rhyne was born in Paso Robles, California. He began his career in Pittsburgh (1926-27), coming over with Paul Waner from the San Francisco Seals, and hit .258. He was a .250 batter in his seven MLB years and a minor league lifer, spending 20 years on various farm clubs. Rhyne came to the majors with a reputation as a hitter. The back of a 1926 photo carries a caption that claimed his “magnetic eyes” made a ball look twice as large as normal. He might have been better off with a magnetic bat instead, although he did finish with a .291 career BA on the farm, playing until he was 41. 
• 1899 - IF Bill “Happy/Gray Ghost” Evans was born in Louisville, Kentucky. He played semi-pro and indie league black ball from 1924 until the late 30s, with his longest stop in the pros being with the Homestead Grays from 1930-33. Happy played everywhere, mainly at short, second and the outfield, and was a dependable stick guy with one of the strongest arms in black baseball. He spent his last pro campaign in 1937 with Homestead’s crosstown rivals, the Pittsburgh Crawfords. He was called the Gray Ghost because of his speed & defense and Happy due to his disposition. Evans is still in the news today, or at least his bloodline is - he’s the great-great uncle of Meghan Markle, Prince Harry’s better half. 

Happy Evans - via SABR

• 1904 - 1B Jim “Ripper” Collins was born in Altoona. He made his name as a hard-hitting prankster of the Gas House Gang and spent his last MLB campaign as a Pirate in 1941 after taking a two-year hiatus in the PCL at Los Angeles. The Bucs brought him in to share some of Elbie Fletcher’s workload at first, but at age 37 Collins’ best days were behind him and he batted just .211 in 49 games, mostly pinch-hitting. He stayed with the organization for several years as a player/manager at Class A Albany. Cort Vitty of SABR, citing The Sporting News, wrote “The nickname Ripper developed during an on-field incident that occurred when Jimmy was a young player. A ball rocketed off his bat and struck a nail protruding from the outfield fence; it caused the cover to partially tear. When asked who hit the ball, the retrieving outfielder saw the ball hanging and said, ‘It was the ripper.’”

3/30 From 1950: Ross, Ricardo Join Up; Brian, Omar Sign; Early Opener Slugfest; RIP Deacon; HBD Mike & Dan

• 1952 - Deacon Phillippe passed away. The righty tossed 12 seasons (1900-11) for the Bucs with a 168-92-11/2.50 line, winning 20 games six times and never suffering through a losing season. He won three World Series games against Boston in 1903, beating Cy Young in the opener and tossing five complete games. Toward the end of his career, he worked six shutout innings in the 1909 Series against Detroit. In 1969, Pirates fans voted him as Pittsburgh's top all-time right-handed pitcher. 
• 1969 - Panamanian OF Omar Moreno was signed by the Pirates’ Howie Haak as a 16-year-old amateur free agent. Moreno, who was with the Pirates from 1975-82, led the 1979 World Series club in runs and hits. The speedster, known as The Antelope, set the single-season Pirates record for stolen bases with 96 in 1980, and his 412 steals with the team ranks third overall behind Max Carey and Honus Wagner. Omar still works as a special assignment coach and spring instructor for the Bucs. 

Mike Johnston - 2005 Topps Total

• 1979 - LHP Mike Johnston was born in Philadelphia. A 20th round pick in the 1998 draft, he made his big league debut on April 7th, 2004, along with fellow farmhand Jose Castillo against the Phils; Mike got his first whiff and Jose his first hit. Johnston made it until June with the big club, being sent down after going 0-3/4.37. He made one more appearance in 2005 and that was his last MLB outing. He tore his labrum in 2006 at Indianapolis, missed 2007-08 and was released by the White Sox in 2009. Mike gave indie ball a final shot at age 33 in 2012 to close his career. 
• 1985 - LHP Dan Runzler was born in Santa Monica, California. He signed with the Bucs for the 2017 season and was a September call up, getting in eight games with no decisions and a 4.50 ERA after spending the summer at Indy. That was his last MLB duty; he’s been with Tampa, Boston and in the indie leagues since. 
• 1997 - The Pirates purchased LHP Ricardo Rincon from the Mexico City Reds. In 1997-98, he went 4-10-18/3.17 for the Bucs and was then traded to Cleveland for Brian Giles in one of Pittsburgh’s better baseball deals. He’ll be remembered here for combining with Francisco Cordoba on a 10-inning 1997 no-hitter. Ricardo played on the Mexican WBC teams in 2006 & 2009, retiring from the Mexican League in 2012. 
• 2002 - RHP Brian Meadows signed as a minor league free agent with the Pirates. He was called up mid-season and lasted four years with the club, converting from a starter to a reliever who made 133 appearances in his last two seasons with Pittsburgh. Meadows went 8-12-2 with a 4.20 ERA from 2002-05. He lasted one more year with Tampa Bay before retiring. 

Brian Meadows - 2003 Topps Total

• 2005 - The Bucs bought C David Ross from the Dodgers. Ross got into 40 games (35 behind the dish) and hit .222. It was fairly early in his 15-year career and he was just 28, but that made him the graybeard, behind 26-year-old Humberto Cota & a pair of 24-year-old up-and-comers, Ryan Doumit and Ronny Paulino. Ross was sent to San Diego at the deadline for SS JJ Furmaniak to help break the logjam. 
• 2018 - In their earliest-ever season opener (and it started even sooner the next year), the Pirates see-sawed to a 13-10 win over the Tigers at Comerica Park. Ivan Nova twice worked out of bases-loaded, no-out jams, but relievers Michael Feliz and Felipe Rivero were bashed for four runs each, Feliz in 2/3-IP and Rivero failing to get an out in the ninth, blowing a 10-6 lead and sending the game into extra innings. Josh Smoker and game-winner Steven Brault held off Motown until Gregory Polanco bashed a three-run homer in the 13th, set up by two-out singles by Adam Frazier and Josh Harrison. Frazier, Polanco and Josh Bell each had three hits; Harrison, Starling Marte and Fran Cervelli collected a pair of raps. El Coffee had four RBI while Bell and Cervy each knocked home three. Harrison and Polanco scored three times apiece. It was, unsurprisingly, the longest Opener in Bucco history, lasting five hours and 27 minutes.

Bucs Drop 4-3 Contest To Twins; Kuhl Opening Day Hurler; Goodwin, Hartleib, Difo, Wright To Minors

Today's Game:

Chris De Jong tossed the first pitch against the Twinkies, followed by Dave Bednar, Richard Rodriguez, Chris Stratton, Clay Holmes, Duane Underwood, Tyler Bashlor. Move of note: Erik Gonzalez was at first today; he has nine games/33 innings of time there in the MLB.

De Jong's 2-2/3 IP start was marred by  two-run homer in the second. Bednar closed out DJ's day with a K. Ric Rod was tagged with a pair of tallies in the fourth not particularly of his own making; a fly was missed in the sun and an error by the usually automatic Ke'Bryan Hayes were costly. Stratton, Holmes, Underwood and Bashlor all worked around runners to post zippos. Shreve surrendered a two-out solo shot to give the Twins an insurance run in the ninyt and a 5-3 victory.

E-Gon's homer wasn't enough to dislodge Newman at SS - 2019 Topps

E-Gon responded in the third with a two-run dinger. A single, walk, wild pitch and right-side bouncer manufactured a Bucco run in the sixth, but that would be it for the Pirates

Notes:

• Erik Gonzalez and Ke'Bryan Hayes each had a pair of hits today. 
• Shelty announced Chad Kuhl will be the Pirates Opening Day pitcher against the Kyle Hendricks and the Cubs on April 1st at Wrigley Field. The skipper also confirmed the obvious - Kevin Newman won the starting SS job, and added that Fraze would remain at leadoff. 
• The roster is starting coming into final form: RHP Geoff Hartlieb was optioned while IF Wilmer Difo, OF Brian Goodwin and RHP Steven Wright were assigned to minor league camp. Five to go...
• The Bucs will base their alternate camp in the City this year, using facilities at PNC Park, Heinz Field and Pitt's Cost Center; it was at Altoona's PNG Park last year. Minor league season is on a month's hold in 2021.

Tomorrow's Game:

JT Brubaker gets the spring's final start when Pittsburgh closes out the Grapefruit League season at Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers. Steven Wright and Sean Poppen are penciled to follow. It's a 12:05 start and will be webcast by pirates.com.

3/29 Through The 1970s: McEnaney Trade; HBD Sean, Danny, Mike, Hank & Bobs

• 1865 - RHP Hank Gastright was born in Covington, Kentucky. He had been a workhorse for the Columbus Colts for the first three years of his career, had a rough campaign with Washington and then in 1893 had a bounceback year, starting out with Pittsburgh. The Pirates didn’t use him much as he went 3-1/6.25 in nine games into July, when he was released and claimed by Boston, where he pitched a little better but with lots more luck, going 12-4/5.13; his combined 15-5 record was the best winning percentage in the National League that year. He had one more campaign left in him and tossed a farewell game in 1896 for his hometown Cincinnati Reds. Trivia: Gastright threw a no-hitter in 1890 for Columbus but it’s not considered an official no-no. It missed the books because the game was called after eight innings due to darkness. 

Bob Steele - from his early (1913) Moose Jaw days

• 1894 - LHP Bob Steele was born in Cassburn, Ontario. Steele hurled for the Bucs from 1917-18, when they had some fairly poor clubs. Steele suited up for Pittsburgh in the second half of 1917 after a deal with the Cards for 3B Doug Baird, continuing through the first half of 1918. He did fairly well without flashy results, going 7-14-2/2.87 as a starter who occasionally worked from the pen. Bob was sold to the Giants later in the 1918 campaign and tossed his last MLB season for them in 1919, retiring after finishing out the year with Indianapolis of the American Association. He did make the record books (albeit Canadien) when he tossed a no-hitter for the Moose Jaw Robin Hoods against the Calgary Bronchos (sic) in the Class D Western Canadian League in 1913. 
• 1961 - OF Mike Kingery was born in St. James, Minnesota. Mike closed out his 10-year MLB career with the Bucs in 1996, signing on as a $750K free agent at the age of 35. He became their part-time center fielder, hitting .246 before retiring to Minnesota to raise his family and begin the Solid Foundation Baseball School. 
• 1962 - Pirates owner Bob Nutting was born in Wheeling, West Virginia. He’s CEO of Ogden Newspapers Inc. and owner of Seven Springs Mountain Resort along with being the Chairman of the Board and principal owner of the Pittsburgh Pirates. He had been repping the Nutting interests in the Bucs since 2002, when his dad Ogden was a shareholder of the Kevin McClatchy team. Educated at Williams College (despite his background, he majored in History, not Finance/Econ), he’s married with three kids and often the target of frustrated Pirates fans who believe he should loosen the pursestrings. Get used to his bottom line ways; he’s already turned down at least three local bids to sell the club. 
• 1971 - RHP Sean Lowe was born in Dallas, Texas. Lowe had been a White Sox long man/spot starter for three seasons when he arrived in Pittsburgh in 2002 with Kip Wells and Josh Fogg as part of the Todd Ritchie deal. After going 4-2/5.35, he was released in September. He finished the campaign with Colorado, tossed for KC in 2003 and that ended his seven-year stint in MLB. 

Danny Kolb - 2007 photo Nick Laham/Getty

• 1975- RHP Danny Kolb was born in Sterling, Illinois. The Pirates signed the eight-year vet to a minor league deal in 2007; the 32-year-old didn’t break camp with the club, but was called up in June, got into three games, gave up three runs on six hits in three innings and was DFA’ed back to the minors. He refused to report and became a FA, signing with Boston. The Red Sox released him early in 2008, making Pittsburgh his last MLB stop. 
• 1978 - The Pirates sent RHP Tim Jones to the Expos for LHP Wil McEnaney. The deal was a wash - Jones bombed in AAA and retired, while McEnaney was shelled in Pittsburgh (10.38 ERA) and sent to AAA Columbus, where he was released at the end of the season after posting a 6.24 ERA. He was fighting drug & drinking demons in 1977-78, triggered by a divorce and the death of his mom, but after a car wreck and under the wing of his future second wife, Cindy, he flew straight once again and has been leading a clean life ever since.

3/29 From 1990: Smith, Varsho Deals; DJ, Gary Sign; Jared Cut; Pitching Debate; Tracy's 1st Camp; KBL Beef Settled

• 1991 - In a depth swap, the Pirates traded Steve Carter to the Chicago Cubs for Gary Varsho. OF Carter, who had a couple of short Pittsburgh stays, never appeared in MLB again. Varsho hit .249 as a bench bat for the Bucs, was waived and claimed by the Reds for the next season, and returned to the coop in 1994. 
• 1994 - After being released the day before, Gary Varsho signed a $243,750 contract for a second go-around with the club, which he had played for in 1991-92 before joining the Reds. In his three years with the club, Gary batted .251 as a pinch hitter and extra outfielder. He returned one more time to serve as John Russell’s bench coach in 2008 before being let go in 2010, shortly before JR was shown the door. He came back to the fold in 2016 as a Bucco scout. 

Big Day For Gary V - 1992 Score

• 1994 - The Pirates and KBL settled a beef that had led to the Buccos suing for breach of contract while looking at the possibility of no TV coverage for the season. Before the hearing was to start, Judge Michael Musmanno told the lawyers to make another effort to hammer out an agreement, and five hours later, they had a deal. KBL got production & advertising rights; the Pirates got 25 fewer games broadcast than the season before. 
• 1997 - The Pirates traded OF Trey Beamon and C Angelo Encarnacion to the San Diego Padres for 1B/OF Mark Smith and minor-league RHP Hal Garrett. It was a wash; Beaman had a couple of decent seasons from the pine while Smith hit .285 with nine homers off the bench for the Bucs in 1997 but faded in 1998. Smith’s highlight came in 1997 when he drilled a homer in the bottom of the 10th inning to give the Pirates a 3-0 win over the Houston Astros at TRS, ending the first extra-inning, combined no-hitter (Francisco Cordoba, Ricardo Rincon) in MLB history. 
• 1999 - RHP DJ Carrasco, 33, signed a one-year/$950K free agent deal with the Pirates. He continued his workmanlike ways with a 2-2/3.88 slash. That performance earned him a deadline ticket to Arizona with Ryan Church and Bobby Crosby via the trade route for Pedro Ciriaco, Chris Snyder and cash. 
• 2000 - The Pirates picked Jimmy Anderson to break camp as their fifth starter and cut veteran LHP Pete Schourek, eating the final $2M of his contract. Schourek wasn’t taken by surprise; he was coming off a poor, injury-hindered 1999 and had been on the trade market for a couple of weeks. The Pirates suits thought Anderson had more upside, but a couple of the team leaders weren’t sold. Kevin Young said “A lot of the veteran players are disturbed...We don’t want people rewarded for mediocrity.” Brian Giles added that “He (Schourek) busts his butt. With Jimmy, you don’t know that...Jimmy needs to learn how to work and make himself better. From what we’ve seen, we haven’t seen him make that commitment.” As it ended up, Anderson’s career lasted through 2004 and he never posted a season after his ‘99 rookie campaign with an ERA south of 5.10 while Schourek tossed through 2001 for Boston, winning four games pitching to an ERA of 4.97. It ended up much ado about nothing; the Pirates wouldn’t find a fifth starter who had an ERA under five until 2011, when Kevin Correia put up a 4.72 mark. 

Lotta shakin' by Jim Tracy - 2006 Upper Deck

• 2006 - It was a busy day at Jim Tracy’s first camp. First, the rumor mill was leaking out a UT Craig Wilson-for-RHP Joel Pineiro swap with Seattle, which eventually fell through (Piniero made twice the money that Wilson did, and went on to post an 8-13/6.36 with the Mariners during the season, so the Bucs dodged a bullet). The need for a starting pitcher was highlighted when Kip Wells, John Van Benshoten and Bryan Bullington were all placed on the DL this day. Additionally, a handful of non-pitching guys were sent to the minors, including Jose Bautista, Ronny Paulino and Mike Edwards. 
• 2017 - In a surprise move, the Pirates released RHP Jared Hughes, whom they had tendered months earlier and signed to a $2.175M contract. Hughes had been with the MLB club since 2011 and was a career-long member of the organization since 2006 when he was a fourth round draft pick. The release date had to do with a combination of declining performance and dollars; by letting him go before the season started, the Pirates were on the hook for just $695K. Hughes later signed as an FA with the Milwaukee Brewers for $950K. He followed that campaign by signing for two-years w/an option with the Reds and is now retired.

Bucs At .500 With 2-1 Squeaker Over Orioles, Bashlor Optioned

Today's Game:

Mitch Keller, Braedon Ogle, Michael Feliz, Sam Howard, Luis Oviedo, Quinn Priester, Blake Weiman and Nick Mears got today's call. The starting lineup featured just two regulars, Fraze and Jake. Brian Goodwin, Dustin Fowler and Wilmer Difo were all getting last minute looks along with some AAA guys. It was a pitcher's afternoon delight, with the Bucs coming out on top 2-1.

Fraze - 2018 Topps Road To Opening Day

Keller finally put together a respectable three innings - no runs, one hit but still four walks and 72 pitches. It's a forward step productively, but that lack of command has to tighten up. Ogle gave up a run on a walk, double and sac fly in the fourth, then it was zeros - no runs or even hits surrendered by the remaining guys. Feliz, Howard and Mears fanned a pair in their frame; Oviedo settled for one K. Only Priester had problems, with three walks in 2/3 IP, and that ended up no problem when Weiman came on and caught a Bird looking to strand the trio.

Fraze doubled to lead off the game and Troy Stokes singled him home with two gone. A walk to Oneill Cruz, a good bunt by Kells and Fraze's single in the second plated the winning tally. That was the attack today and a reminder that baseball is a pitcher's game.

Notes:

• Fraze had two of the Bucs' six hits, scored the first run and drove in the winning run..
• RHP Tyler Bashlor was optioned by the Bucs after yesterday's game. He didn't have much chance to get into the competition this year as a minor back injury kept him out of action early on when the other guys were establishing themselves. MLB camp is down to 35 players.
• Yep, almost - Opening Day is April 1st at Wrigley and the Home Opener is April 8th, also against the Cubs. 

Tomorrow's Game:

Miguel Yajure, Kyle Crick, Richard Rodriguez, Chasen Shreve and Chris Stratton go against the Twins at Bradenton in the spring's last home tilt. It's a 1:05 game that will be on AT&T SportsNet and KDKA 1020.

3/28: Omar, Heaton, Buddy, Davis Deals; East-West Classic; NYY Rematch; RIP Cum; HBD Shark, Bryan, Steve & Bill

• 1929 - RHP Bill MacDonald was born in Alameda, California. Bill tossed for the Bucs in 1950 and again briefly in 1953, compiling an 8-11-1/4.66 mark. He had a promising debut campaign for Pittsburgh, but after missing 1951-52 while in the service, Mac never regained his form. He tossed for two seasons in the PCL and retired from baseball. 
• 1946 - Cumberland “Cum” Posey, who owned the Homestead Grays from 1911-46, died in Mercy Hospital from cancer. He was a part-time player until 1929, and managed until 1937. Posey was a big-time owner, and his teams played regularly in Forbes Field and Washington DC’s Griffith Stadium. The Grays won eight Negro League pennants and three World Series titles under his reign.

Cum Posey - Ars Longa Art Card

• 1961 - Just to prove it wasn’t a fluke, the Pirates bounced the Yankees in their first meeting since the World Series by a 9-2 score at Fort Myers’ Terry Park during a spring exhibition, played in front of an overflow crowd of 5,351 fans. Bob Friend tuned up for the season by going the distance, scattering eight hits and fanning seven. Dick Stuart and Roberto Clemente homered while Maz led the nine-hit attack with a pair of knocks. But the Bronx Bombers proved better suited for the long run - they beat the Reds in the ‘61 Fall Classic in five games while the Bucs stumbled to a 75-win, sixth-place campaign. 
• 1969 - The Pirates traded RHP Tommie Sisk and C Chris Cannizzaro to the San Diego Padres in exchange for OF Ron Davis and IF Bobby Klaus. Sisk was on the backside of his career while Davis and Klaus never became big-time performers, but Cannizzaro became an All-Star in 1969 for the expansion Padres (albeit with a .220 BA) and had a 12-year career that ended after the 1974 season. 
• 1970 - The one-time East-West Major League Baseball Classic was held at Dodger Stadium to commemorate Dr. Martin L King. Played before 31,694 fans, the Pirates were represented by Willie Stargell and Roberto Clemente; other players with Pittsburgh connections were Grant Jackson, Maury Wills and Jim Fregosi (the teams were integrated, per MLK’s philosophy) while Mudcat Grant played and sang the National Anthem. The East won 5-1 (Roberto doubled, scored and chased home a run) while the game raised $30,000 for the Southern Christian Leadership Council. 
• 1975 - RHP Steve Sparks was born in Mobile, Alabama. Sparks was drafted by the Bucs in the 28th round of the 1998 draft from the U of South Alabama and tossed three times for the Pirates in 2000 during a brief mid-summer visit. He had no decisions and a 6.75 ERA in his only MLB season. Steve played two seasons after that in the upper minors, hanging ‘em up in 2002 at the age of 27. 

Steve Sparks & Teke Redman were 2000 Fleer Rookie cardmates

• 1980 - RHP Eddie “Buddy” Solomon Jr. was traded by the Atlanta Braves to the Pirates for a PTBNL, minor league RHP Greg Field. Solomon worked 1980-82 for Pittsburgh, going 17-15-1/3.58 before being traded at the deadline to Chicago for 3B Jim Morrison. Buddy died young in a car accident in Macon, Georgia, at age 34 in 1986. 
• 1985 - RHP Mark Melancon was born in Wheat Ridge, Colorado. Melancon came to Pittsburgh in 2013 from the Red Sox as a versatile backender, working both as set-up man and closer, and earned a spot on the ‘13 All-Star team. Mark the Shark took the closer’s job full time in early 2014, saving 33 games in 37 chances. In nearly four Pirates seasons, he picked up 10 wins, 130 saves and 41 holds while posting a 1.80 ERA (2.27 FIP) in 267 appearances. He won The Sporting News & Trevor Hoffman NL reliever of the year awards in 2015. The Shark was traded to Washington at the 2016 deadline and signed with the Giants in 2017 as a free agent. 
• 1987 - RHP Bryan Morris was born in Tullahoma, Tennessee. Acquired in the Jason Bay trade, he was part of the Bucco bullpen from 2012-14, going 13-8/2.61 before being dealt to Miami. Morris was otherworldly in his first season, posting an 0.66 ERA (although his 3.03 FIP was more down to earth) and finished his Fish tenure with a 2.30 ERA. He moved to San Francisco in 2017 and retired later that season to become the pitching coach for his old high school team. 
• 1989 - LHP Neal Heaton was traded by the Montreal Expos to the Pirates for RHP Brett Gideon. Heaton worked four years for the Jimmy Leyland playoff teams of the early nineties and made the All-Star team in 1990. He was out of the MLB after the 1993 season and is a pitching instructor for the private All Pro Sports Academy in Bellport, NY. Gideon got into five games for the Expos in 1989-90 to end his MLB days, retired after the 1992 campaign and is now a sales rep. 

Omar Olivares - 2002 Topps Series 2

• 2001 - The Pirates staff was beset by injuries, and the Bucco FO made a conditional deal with Oakland for RHP Omar Olivares, who had just been beaten out as the A’s fifth man. The 33-year-old Olivares joined his eighth team and got a dozen starts for the Pirates, going 2-7/7.12 before being sent to the pen, where he posted an improved 4-2-1/5.63 line, but it wasn’t enough and this would be his last MLB campaign.

BoSox Ride Big Inning To 7-4 Win; Toddfather Gone

Today's Game:

Chad Kuhl took the hill, and after him came Wil Crowe, Clay Holmes, Geoff Hartlieb, Chasen Shreve and Dave Bednar,. Kevin Newman is at short, with Eric Gonzalez and Phil Evans making up a shake-and-bake right side. Tony Alford started in center.

Kuhl lasted two innings after his nine-day daddy layoff, and gave up a run on a hit with two walks and two fans. Crowe, who's had a strong spring, tossed a pair of scoreless frames. Holmes added a goose egg until the roof fell in on Hartlieb in the sixth, who was charged with six runs (four earned; Alford muffed a ball that hurt) on five hits, all singles, and a walk while getting just one out; Shreve finally shut off the Bosox. Bednar struck out the side in the seventh around a single. And that was it; the teams called it a day after seven innings and Boston took the W 7-4.

You can only hope to contain Newman this spring - photo 2020 Pirates

The Bucs left runners on second and third in the first; Pittsburgh's singles attack creates lots of chances but a couple of big blows would help the cause. The Pirates put up a three-spot in the third with two-out singles by Gregory and Evans and a boot by Boston, though the Buccaneers stranded three more runners. A fourth run came across in the next frame when El Coffee doubled and Bryan Reynolds' deflected single chased him home. In the seventh, they left two more runners on, stranding 12 in seven innings.

Notes:

• K-Man had three more hits; his spring BA is now .714. Bryan Reynolds (.317 BA in camp) also had a three-pack and Phil Evans (.406 BA) added two more raps. 
• The two clubs combined for 20 hits; 18 were singles and the other pair were two-baggers, one per squad.
• Todd Frazier has exercised his opt-out from the Pirates (he had to be placed on the 40-man by 3/25) and now is a free agent. Seems likely now that the team will carry 14 pitchers and four bench players (frontrunners by my ouija board being IFs Erik Gonzalez, Wilmer Difo, OFs Dustin Fowler/Brian Goodwin (not that either has earned a spot) and C Tony Wolters/Miguel Perez, both with good gloves and so far, Mendoza Line sticks.

Tomorrow's Game:

Pittsburgh takes on Baltimore again, with a 1:05 start from Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota with the game aired on 93.7 The Fan. Mitch Keller, Michael Feliz, Sam Howard, Luis Oviedo and Edgar Santana are penciled in against the O's.

3/27: Guerrier, Winn Deals; Lookin' For Pitching; Pops To 1b & Blass Released; HBD Clay, Montana, Dave, Bill & Gary

• 1895 - RHP Bill Burwell was born in Jarbalo, Kansas. Burwell pitched but one year for the Pirates, going 1-0/5.23 in 1928, but later served as a Pirate coach and scout (1947–1948; 1958–1962). Burwell was the acting manager of the Pirates for the final game of the 1947 season after player-manager Billy Herman resigned and he beat the Cincinnati Reds 7-0. He was the pitching coach for the 1960 WS champs, and before that was a minor league assistant who helped develop Vern Law by teaching him how to change speeds and throw a changeup. 
• 1953 - C Gary Alexander was born in Los Angeles. He had back-to-back strong seasons in 1977-78 while playing for three teams but a low BA and high K rate marked him as bench material by the time he arrived in Pittsburgh in 1981. He hit .213 as an OF/1B/PH for the Bucs in his last MLB season. Alexander was released by the Pirates as a late cut the following spring and finished out his pro career in Mexico. 
• 1956 - 1B Dave Hostetler was born in Pasadena, California. He closed out his five-year MLB run with six games played for the Pirates in 1988 after reviving his career with a two-year tour of duty in Japan. Hostetler went two-for-eight, and in May was sent to AAA Buffalo, ending his time in the show. After retirement, he stayed in sports as a regional manager for Riddell.

Steve Blass - 1975 Topps

•  1975 - The Pirates released RHP Steve Blass, who went from Game Seven World Series winner to a pitcher who had no idea where the ball was going once it left his hand, a condition that to this day is known as “Steve Blass disease.” Blass is now a Pirate ambassador and former long-time member of the broadcast team for Root Sports (now AT&T SportsNet). In other camp news, a position shuffle saw Willie Stargell moved from LF to 1B, Richie Zisk crossed the pasture into Pops’ old spot and Dave Parker was slotted into right. Bob Robertson ended up with the short stick; Willie’s shift (and Robby’s aching knees) reduced Big Red to just 152 PAs during the regular season. 
• 1987 - OF John Cangelosi was traded by the Chicago White Sox to the Pirates for RHP Jim Winn. Cangelosi became a useful bench piece for the Bucs, spending four seasons in Pittsburgh with a .243 BA, while Winn worked two more years in the show. Cangelosi retired in 1999 and now operates a sports training facility in Illinois. 
• 1992 - RHP Montana DuRapau was born in Deltona, Florida. He was a 32nd round draft pick in 2014, from Bethune-Cookman College. He had a nice career in the minors, but proved his own worst enemy by getting banged twice for drug abuse, the last in 2018. He cleaned up his act, had a lights-out start at Indy, and when the Pirates went through a rash of injuries/poor performances from their bullpen, was called up in May, 2019, as a 27-year-old rookie. He got his name in the franchise highlights as the starting pitcher in the Pirates first-ever “opener” game on May 18th, a 7-2 Bucco win against San Diego. It was a rude initiation, though - Montana went 0-1/9.35 in 14 outings. 
• 1993 - RHP Clay Holmes was born in Dothan, Alabama. A ninth round pick of the Bucs out of high school in 2011, his career was delayed by 2014 TJ surgery. Clay finally got the call, albeit for a cup of coffee, in April of 2018, getting into one game as a mop-up man, giving up a run in two innings on two hits & two walks with a whiff before being sent back down. He continued to yo-yo between Indy and Pittsburgh during the campaign, going 1-3/6.84 In 11 outings (four starts) with major control & command issues, giving up eight walks per nine innings. Holmes started 2019 at Indy, being grooved for a bullpen role, and went 1-2/5.58 in 35 appearances after being called up in May. He again flashed MLB stuff by fanning 10 batters per contest, but with a walk rate of 6.5 per game. 

Clay Holmes - 2019 photo Dave Arrigo/Pirates

• 2001 - The papers speculated that the Pirates, whose FO was given the green light to increase the payroll after injuries to Kris Benson, Francisco Cordova and Jason Schmidt created the need for another pitcher, were after Brett Tomko of Seattle. But nothing came of the attempt to bolster the staff except dealing for Omar Olivares (6-9-1/6.55), who started 12 games and was sent to pen, and the free agent signing of Ramon Martinez, who got four starts and posted an 0-2/8.62 line to end his MLB career. Todd Ritchie and Jimmy Anderson carried the load, with 10 other pitchers joining the rotation at one point or another behind them. Ritchie, with 11 victories, was the only double-digit game winner. 
• 2002 - The Pirates sent out-of-options LHP Damaso Marte and minor league IF Ruddy Yan to the Chicago White Sox for RHP Matt Guerrier. The Bucs would get Marte back a few years later (he spent four campaigns as a Bucco) while Guerrier never tossed for the Pirates. He spent two seasons in AAA Nashville before embarking on an 11-year, 555-outing MLB career that ended after the 2014 season.

Tigers Top Bucs 5-2; Moran's HR Only Pirates Offense

Today's Game:

Tyler Anderson toed the rubber, followed by Trevor Cahill, Sam Howard, Duane Underwood and Tyler Bashlor. Shelty sent out the A Team to start, with Fraze and K-Man (E-Gon subbed for him) in the middle and just one in-a-battle boy, Dustin Fowler, in center. It wasn't enough firepower as the Pirates dropped a 5-2 decision to Detroit.

Ex-Bucco farmhand Robbie Grossman homered to lead off the first off Anderson. He bounced from jam to jam after that, getting out of a two-walk pickle in the third and second-and-third w/no outs in the fourth to escape his stint with just one run surrendered. Cahill took over in the fifth and dove into immediate hot water after two walks, a single and sac fly rang up a pair for Motown. Howard came on to get the third out after Cahill had tossed 28 pitches. Cahill was reinserted for the sixth (spring rules).

Duane Underwood - 2019 Cub rookie, 2021 Pirates hopeful

He gave up a single and walk with an out, then some heads up fielding (and boneheaded running) saved him from a potentially painful inning. Fowler fired in a rap to center; the throw was cut and the runner caught in a brief rundown and tagged out. Ke'Bryan Hayes then fired to second and they nabbed another overaggressive Tiger who came in headfirst but late, limiting the damage to one run. Underwood left Tigers on the corners in the seventh and tossed a clean eighth. Bashlor gave up three straight two-out knocks in the ninth to give Detroit a three-run cushion.

A Bryan Reynolds walk and Redbeard dinger in the fourth gave the Bucs a 2-1 lead; it would have been three had Ke'Bryan Hayes not gotten picked off earlier. The Pirates used two hit batters and a single to load the bases in the fifth but grabbed no cigar. That was it; Pittsburgh had two runners reach first over the last four innings.

Notes:

• The Pirates had six hits and were 0-for-6 with RISP. Fraze, Newman and Hayes kept strokin' with a hit apiece.
• Wil Crowe was scheduled to start but replaced by Kuhl, who is returning to action after the birth of his son; it's been nine days since he saw Grapefruit action.

Tomorrow's Game: 

Chad Kuhl will start it up against Boston at LECOM Park. The contest begins at 1:05 and will be on AT&T SportsNet and 93.7 The Fan.

3/26: Yates, Moose Deals; Masumi Retires; Herges Giveaway; Craig Stays; Sandy Who?; HBD Eric, Josh, Jack & Morrie

• 1850 - P Morrie Critchley was born in New London, Connecticut. He honed his art as a semi-pro player before tossing as a 32-year-old rookie for the Alleghenys in 1882. Morrie did pretty well, spinning a seven-hit whitewash as he tamed Cincinnati 2-0 at the Bank Street Grounds to become the MLB’s first 30-year-old or over hurler to pitch a shutout in his first game. Despite that victory, he was released 10 days later; it seems the Allegheny directors had “strong reason to believe he was throwing games” per Major League Player Profiles, with their shackles raised after an exhibition contest where he was shellacked. Even with that stain, he was taken by the St Louis Brown Stockings six weeks later. He threw four complete games for them, but the results weren’t as shiny as he went 0-4/4.24, and that stint ended his big league career. Morrie remained in Pittsburgh, umpired briefly and then ran a local bar/hotel until he died at the age of 59. 
• 1869 - LF Jack McCarthy was born in Hardwick, Massachusetts. McCarthy started for the Pirates in 1898-99 and hit a robust .298. But the Pirates landed Fred Clarke, also a LF, when they absorbed the old Louisville team and sold McCarthy to the Chicago Orphans. He played until 1907 and had a lifetime .287 BA. He managed in the minors for a while after retiring, then finished his days as a Chicago courthouse employee. Fun fact: On April 26th, 1905, as a Cub, McCarthy became the first fielder to throw out three runners at home plate, doing the deed against his old mateys, the Pittsburgh Pirates. 

Jack McCarthy - 1904 Chicago Daily News

• 1963 - The LA Dodgers' Sandy Koufax surrendered two homers and was touched for six runs while whiffing nine Buccos in seven innings during a spring tune-up. It was not an omen of things to come. In 40 starts that season, Koufax gave up six runs in an outing once, going 25-5 with a 1.88 ERA, winning the Cy Young Award and earning a World Series ring. The Bucs did get to the Hall-of-Fame lefty better than most during that campaign, going 1-1 against him in three starts and scoring over three runs per game. 
• 1981 - IF Josh Wilson was born in Pittsburgh and played prep ball at Mt. Lebanon High along with Don Kelly. As a Blue Devil, he won the 1998 PIAA Championship and was the PA Player of the Year. He was only with the hometown organization briefly at Indy in 2008 but played in eight big-league campaigns for nine teams (with three stops at Arizona). Wilson earned the nickname “Paperboy” not so much because he delivered (his lifetime BA was .229) but as a nod to his youthful appearance. Josh was the son of one of the area’s top baseball icons - his dad, Mike, was a long-time coach with stops at Mt Lebanon HS (he coached up Josh & Don), Pitt & Duquesne, and also was a player, coach, & manager in the semi-pro Greater Pittsburgh Federation Baseball League for more than 20 years. 2017 was his last hurrah as a player and Wilson is a scout for the Tigers now. 
• 1983 - RHP Eric Hacker was born in Duncanville, Texas. The Pirates got the reliever from the New York Yankees for Romulo Sanchez in 2009. He spent most of his time at AAA Indianapolis, getting a September call up and making his MLB debut on September 22nd. He toed the slab for three Bucco outings, giving up two runs on four hits in three frames. Eric got a couple more cups of coffee in the show and then headed across the pond, pitching in Korea from 2013-18. 
• 1988 - C Mackey Sasser and RHP Tim Drummond were traded to the NY Mets for minor leaguer Scott Henion and 1B Randy “Moose” Milligan, a 26-year-old selected as The Sporting News’ 1987 Minor League Player of the Year. Milligan hit .220 for the Bucs before having some solid seasons at Baltimore while Sasser caught the next six seasons for the Mets, batting .286 for NY over that span. Drummond worked 43 more games in the bigs, with a 3-5-2/4.35 line. 
• 2003 - The Pirates released RHP Matt Herges, for whom they had traded RHP Chris Young to the Padres in December. SD reclaimed Herges on April 1st, in effect keeping their reliever and getting a young front-line pitcher for free from Pittsburgh’s GM Dave Littlefield. Herges pitched until 2009 and Young, despite a boatload of injuries, started 221 career games and tossed into 2017 until moving on to become an administrator for MLB. 

Craig Wilson - 2004 Fleer Tradition

• 2006 - The day’s hot topic was a deal brewing between Atlanta and Pittsburgh featuring a straight 1B/OF Craig Wilson-for-RHP John Thompson swap, with the Bravos also showing interest in expanding the talks to include Salomon Torres. It eventually led nowhere, with all the players remaining in place for the season, which was an overall win for Pittsburgh. The Pirates starters were terrible in 2006, but Thompson’s 2-7/4.82 campaign for the Braves wouldn’t have helped to right that ship. Wilson hit .267 with 13 HR off the bench while Torres was a bullpen ironman, getting the ball 94 times and going 3-6-12/3.28 over the year. 
• 2008 - The Pirates traded minor league RHP Todd Redmond to the Atlanta Braves for reliever Tyler Yates. Fastballer Yates went 6-5 in two seasons with Pirates, pitching to a 5.08 ERA before arm surgery derailed his career. Redmond finally got a shot at Toronto in 2013 and was effective in 2014 after being converted to the pen. He got beat up in 2015 at Toronto and spent most of the year in AAA. 2016 was his last pro season when he was released by Baltimore in April. 
• 2008 - RHP Masumi Kuwata, the first Japanese player ever signed by the Pirates and a legend in his homeland, retired. Kuwata, who was a week shy of 40-years-old, had a 1.80 ERA in five innings in the spring but hadn’t pitched since March 18th and chose to retire when it became clear that he wouldn’t make the Pirates' opening-day roster. Per Japanese tradition, Kuwata walked to the McKechnie Field mound about an hour after the Tigers-Pirates exhibition game ended and without stepping on the white-painted pitching rubber, placed a ball on it. He made his major league debut at Yankee Stadium on June 9th, 2005 and was 0-1/9.43 in 19 games before his final MLB appearance on August 13th. Kuwata was the oldest player to make his first major league appearance since 41-year-old Diomedes Olivo, also for the Pirates, in 1960.

O's Hit 3-Run HRs; Pirates Miss Opps In 10-9 Loss

Today's Game: 

It was a bullpen day for the Bucs as Sean Poppen, Richard Rodríguez, Michael Feliz, Chris Stratton,  Luis Oviedo, Edgar Santana and Yerry De Los Santos were on the bump against Baltimore. Erik Gonzalez is at second with prospect Liover Peguero at short. Brian Goodwin is in center with Tony Alford in left and batting leadoff. Todd Frazier is back from back tightness and played first.

Poppen had some bad mojo in an outing that was forgettable - he gave up a two-out, two run bleeder in the second, and was relieved by Ric Rod, who gave up a three-run dinger. Rodriguez then worked a quiet third before Feliz gave up another three-run blast in the fourth, once again a two-out dagger, after the Bucs had fought back to knot it at 6-6. Stratton and Oviedo put up zeros in the fifth and sixth before Santana surrendered the 10th O run off two doubles in the seventh. Yerry De Los Santos walked two and whiffed two in a scoreless eighth.

Phil Evans has reason to strut tonight - 2021 photo Pirates

The bats were hot enough. Phil Evans and Wilmer Difo both drove home runs in the first, even with E-Gon cut down at the plate. Peguerro doubled in another tally in the second. Tony Walters plated a pair of Buccos in the second and Liover sent his third runner home, but the Pirates lost another guy at home when Wolters was gunned down tagging on a fly to left. A pair of leadoff infield raps in the seventh resulted in another run, albeit by DP. The Pirates loaded the sacks with no outs, but another DP hurt though it did plate a run. Then an Evans infield single plated another Corsair to shave the deficit to 10-9, and that's how it ended. 

Notes:

• Phil Evans had four hits, scored three, drove home a pair and played pretty decently in the outfield. Tony Alford, Todd Frazier, Brian Goodwin, Tony Wolters and Liover Peguerro each banged out a pair of raps. The Bucs bubble guys are tryin' to make the final roster decisions tough, and that's good.
• Tonight was the Pirates last scheduled spring night contest. Their Opening series features three afternoon games at Wrigley, so the next night game is April 5th at Cincy.
• After yesterday's game, the Bucs assigned LHP Braeden Ogle and 3B/OF Hunter Owen to minor league camp.

Tomorrow's Game:

Tyler Anderson gets the call against the Tigers on Friday at Bradenton.Trevor Cahill, Duane Underwood Jr., Kyle Crick and Sam Howard are scheduled to follow.  It's a 1:05 start and will be on AT&T SportsNet

3/25: Jay Bell Swap; Vanimal Joins Up; Polanco & Freese Sign; Maz Out; Wilson In; HBD Lee & Jimmy

• 1882 - RF Jimmy Sebring was born in Liberty, PA, near Williamsport. He played for Pittsburgh from 1902-04, hitting .261, and in 1903 became the first MLB player to homer in a World Series game when he legged out an inside-the-park four-bagger against Cy Young while hitting .333 against Boston in that first WS. The talented OF’er (he was an early “can’t miss” prospect) had a rift with the team over a couple of different incidents and was traded. He then played with a series of outlaw teams, sidetracking his promising career. Sebring was on the comeback trail when he passed away from kidney disease in 1910 at the age of 27. 
• 1953 - The Pirates signed IF Gene Freese to a minor league contract. The 19-year-old from Wheeling made it the hard way; he was one of 21 to survive a local try-out at Forbes Field, then was culled from a pack of about 70 players who were worked out at minor league camp. He was assigned to Class D Brunswick and jumped quickly to Class B Burlington, then in ‘54 started out at AA New Orleans. From there, he went to Hollywood of the Pacific Coast League and debuted with Pittsburgh later in 1955 as a 21-year-old. Gene used that as a launching pad to an 11-year MLB career, spending six of those seasons with the Bucs. 

Lee Mazzilli - 1986 Topps

• 1955 - OF Lee Mazzilli was born in New York City. Mazzilli spent four of his 14 seasons as a Pirate, playing fairly regularly for his first two years (1983-’86) and hitting .244 overall. In 1986, the Mets were rumored to have offered Ray Knight (who was nearing the end of his career) for Mazzilli, but the Pirates turned them down. The Bucs released Lee in July when he was hitting just .226 and he joined NY for free while Knight batted .298 with one more solid ‘87 campaign still left in him. 
• 1965 - Camp isn’t all fun and games. Bill Mazeroski broke a bone in his right foot on this day and was out of the Bucco lineup until May. He came back to hit .271 and earned another Golden Glove for his trophy case. It was the only time between 1964-67 that he didn’t appear in every game, and Maz still played in 130 contests after his foot healed. 
• 1989 - The Pirates sent SS Felix Fermin and UT Denny Gonzalez to Cleveland for SS Jay Bell to complete a PTBNL deal from November 28th, 1988. Bell manned the SS spot for eight years and earned an All-Star berth in 1993 for the Bucs. He returned to the team in 2013 as their batting coach before moving on to the Reds. Fermin played eight more years in the AL, starting several years for the Indians. Gonzalez got into eight more MLB games after the deal and closed out his career with stints in Japan and Mexico. 
• 2001 - Manager Lloyd McClendon officially announced that 23-year-old Jack Wilson was going to start the season at shortstop, bumping veteran Pat Meares to second base. Solid choice; Wilson held the job until he was traded in 2009, hitting .269 and winning an All-Star berth in 2004. Jumping Jack Flash was sent to Pittsburgh in 2000 by the Cards for LHP Jason Christiansen. For Meares, it was the end of the road - a nagging hand injury led to a battle royale with the club over treatment, and he got into just 86 games during the campaign, his last as a MLB’er, playing out his $15M contract on the DL through 2003. 

Jack Wilson - 2001 Fleer Legacy

• 2009 - Pirates Latin American scouts Rene Gayo and Rene Ellis signed a skinny 17-year-old kid who they envisioned as making the jump from pitcher to outfielder for $175,000. The vision became reality - the beanpole was Gregory Polanco and he’s been on patrol in Pittsburgh’s pasture since 2014. Although the promise has yet to catch up with the performance, he did a little better at the negotiating table in 2017, signing a five-year/$35M contract with two team option years worth $26M. He was injured during an awkward late season slide late in 2018 and returned before he was 100% in 2019, playing in only 42 games. 2020 was a lost year performance-wise (.153 BA) so this looks like his make-or-break campaign. 
• 2014 - RHP Vance Worley was purchased from the Minnesota Twins. After going 1-5 with a 7.21 ERA in 2013, Vanimal started out at Indianapolis and following some tinkering with his arm angle, he was called up to start on June 15th to replace injured Francisco Liriano. He finished the campaign with an 8-4 record and 2.85 ERA. After a 4-6/4.02 line in 2015, he was released and went to Baltimore. He’s now a FA, having not pitched in a MLB organization since 2018.